The struggles that made Charles Dickens
1824, at just 12 years old, Charles John Huffam Dickens had no choice but to leave school and get a job. Born on 7 February 1812, his idyllic childhood had come crashing down when his father, John, who had always been reckless with the money he earned as a Royal Navy clerk, ended up in a debtors’ prison. As the eldest son, it fell to Charles to bring in much-needed coins to help his family. For six shillings, he worked 10-hour days in the rat-infested
